Mid Feb Arctic Blast - Fear in your heart

[Mr. Coconut Palm 1,424]

Keith,

Who introduced the red mangroves here? I have seen a couple of red mangrove seeds wash up on Padre Island over the years, so I assume they could make their way to the lower Texas Coast naturally just like we get hundreds of coconuts washing up from Mexico every year.

By the way, I got down to 41.3F this morning and a high of 58.8F (but I really question the accuracy of my highs since lately, my highs have been running significantly above the airport's- usually my highs are the same or slightly lower than the airports, but my lows usually 2-5 degrees F warmer than the airport). I think my sensor for my digital thermometer my be getting a little filtered sunlight in early afternoon, which would make the highs higher than they should be. Anyway, the airport today was at 38F for a low and a high of 54F. They had predicted a low of about 36-37F with a high of only 40-44F. The cloud cover broke this afternoon, which is why we got into the 50's, but it doesn't bode well for us tonight with clearing skies and calmer winds (predicting 34F for the airport and the freeze line running about 20-30 miles north of town). Keep in mind that the normal high and low now at the airport are 74F and 54F! I figure my yard will be down to 37-39F. I am not sure what the record low is for tomorrow. Lately, record lows for the airport have been running from 28F to 35F. Our Gulf water temps are way below normal at about 56F, when the water should be at about 63F or 64F this time of year!

[gsytch 31]

How did red mangroves fare after the 1989 freeze in Tampa Bay? That area of the Texas coast really hasn't had a deep killing freeze (<28F) since '89. Black mangroves are also found in short stubby form in the Galveston area.

Looks like Brownsville will bottom out in the high 30s...Northern Mexico is forecast for high 30s tonight

There are red mangroves well north of Tampa Bay along the Florida Gulf Coast (Pasco County). I don't recall significant damage. Even in 1989, only the tops froze. Living in water, these plants are naturally in better microclimates. There are many a few blocks from my south Tampa home that exceed 15 feet tall.

How did red mangroves fare after the 1989 freeze in Tampa Bay? That area of the Texas coast really hasn't had a deep killing freeze (<28F) since '89. Black mangroves are also found in short stubby form in the Galveston area.

Looks like Brownsville will bottom out in the high 30s...Northern Mexico is forecast for high 30s tonight

There are red mangroves well north of Tampa Bay along the Florida Gulf Coast (Pasco County). I don't recall significant damage. Even in 1989, only the tops froze. Living in water, these plants are naturally in better microclimates. There are many a few blocks from my south Tampa home that exceed 15 feet tall.

I live in coastal Pasco county, and mangroves are indeed very high on the bayous.While damaged in 1989, they came back quickly. We have not had a significant freeze since then, even in 2010 it was more daytime highs that were very low as opposed to nights.

[Xenon 2,426]

6:20 AM, much of Houston is at the freezing mark or just above. 29 degrees out west...

[Ed in Houston 308]

In Houston at about dawn temps ranged from the upper 20s N&W to mid 30s S&E. I am at 34. The dew point dropped overnight down to 20 and there are some high thin clouds with a few MPH wind so there is no frost even on roof tops. I hope this is the last threat for a freeze. The temps are only expected to warm up slowly and the next 70 degree temp is still a week away.

Ed in Houston

[Tropicdoc 462]

My backyard bottomed out at 30 f no frost and strong breeze. Canopy and microclimate don't help temps at all with an advective freeze like this. Good news.... Havnt planted anything yet except a c radicalis under canopy not worried about that one at all

[Tropicdoc 462]

All plants were inside house, garage, shed, or greenhouse

[_Keith 773]

Probably

My backyard bottomed out at 30 f no frost and strong breeze. Canopy and microclimate don't help temps at all with an advective freeze like this. Good news.... Havnt planted anything yet except a c radicalis under canopy not worried about that one at all

Bottomed out at 30 degrees here as well. Winds held through the night, so it was a frost free morning. Looking at 34 tonight and warming through the rest of the 10 day forecast. This should be end of winter, or so I hope. Time to put those giant radish in the ground, :-).

[SubTropicRay 179]

30F is not horrible and a bit warmer than you thought. Hopefully, everything pulled through with little or no damage.

[_Keith 773]

30F is not horrible and a bit warmer than you thought. Hopefully, everything pulled through with little or no damage.

Ray, you were right. And what a difference a couple of degrees makes. This ship is back on course.

[Xerarch 1,199]

Keith,

Who introduced the red mangroves here? I have seen a couple of red mangrove seeds wash up on Padre Island over the years, so I assume they could make their way to the lower Texas Coast naturally just like we get hundreds of coconuts washing up from Mexico every year.

By the way, I got down to 41.3F this morning and a high of 58.8F (but I really question the accuracy of my highs since lately, my highs have been running significantly above the airport's- usually my highs are the same or slightly lower than the airports, but my lows usually 2-5 degrees F warmer than the airport). I think my sensor for my digital thermometer my be getting a little filtered sunlight in early afternoon, which would make the highs higher than they should be. Anyway, the airport today was at 38F for a low and a high of 54F. They had predicted a low of about 36-37F with a high of only 40-44F. The cloud cover broke this afternoon, which is why we got into the 50's, but it doesn't bode well for us tonight with clearing skies and calmer winds (predicting 34F for the airport and the freeze line running about 20-30 miles north of town). Keep in mind that the normal high and low now at the airport are 74F and 54F! I figure my yard will be down to 37-39F. I am not sure what the record low is for tomorrow. Lately, record lows for the airport have been running from 28F to 35F. Our Gulf water temps are way below normal at about 56F, when the water should be at about 63F or 64F this time of year!

Red mangroves were introduced shortly before the devastating freeze of 1983, freezes in the 80's killed red mangrove in native habitat in Florida so I'm not sure that the death of these newly planted specimens was very good evidence that red mangrove isn't viable in Texas. Here is a link to an article that has been discussed before here on PT

http://images.library.wisc.edu/EcoNatRes/EFacs/Wetlands/Wetlands13/reference/econatres.wetlands13.i0020.pdf

[Mr. Coconut Palm 1,424]

Hi Ammon,

Thanks for the link. I was hoping that the ones I saw at the Rio Grande Delta in 2007 were natural immigrants to the lower Texas Coast. From what I read they may be, since all the experimental planting mangroves were killed by the 1983 freeze and any later plantings were killed by the 1989 freeze. So, I guess there is at least a 50/50 chance that the two I saw in 2007 were naturally established. It makes since that they should grow there naturally and survive normal Lower Rio Grande Valley winters.

John